Keyboard for pianos, organs, and the like.



E. T. NORDBO'.

KEYBOARD FOR PIANOS, ORGANS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25. 1915.

1,202,882. Patented 001. 31,1916.

ERIK THORSTEINSON NORDBG, OF B6, NORWAY.

KEYBOARD FOR PIANOS. ORGANS, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

Application filed May 26, 1915. Serial No. 30,572.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERIK THonsTnINsoN, Nonnno, a subject of the King of Norway, residing at B5, Teleniarken, Norway, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Keyboards, for Pianos, Organs, and

the like, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved key-board for pianos, organs and the like.

The keyboard is characterized chiefly by the use, for each tone, of two separate and independent keys capable of separately actuating the hammer or the like in the same manner. The actuating faces of said keys lie in the same longitudinal direction. The keys are arranged stepwise in four rows so that the third row reiterates the first and the fourth reiterates the second. The object of this arrangement of the keys is to enable the playing of all major and minor scales with the same finger positions respectively the distance from one key to the nearest one in the next row being invariably equal to one half tone interval so that to play different scales with the same finger position it is only necessary to begin on the proper row of keys.

The annexed drawing shows part of an embodiment of the keyboard, Figure 1 being a sectional view and Fig. 2 a plan View.

In 1, 1 and 2 are two keys with actuating faces 3, 4t both keys serving to produce the same tone by actuating a hammer or other equivalent. device (not shown). The latter may be operated by means of a rod 5 resting on the lower key 2 and abutting with a collar 6 against the top of the upper key through which it is passed.

The pivots of the two keys are indicated by 7 and 8 and are arranged, as will be seen, in such a Way as to insure an equal striking force for both keys. Besides the key 1 lies the key 9 and straight below the latter and beside 2 lies the key 10. The pivots 11, 12

of the keys 9 and 10 are likewise displaced relatively to each other and to the pivots of the keys 1, 2 so that theirstriking force will in all events be the same. By forming four rows of the actuating faces, the faces of each row are spaced apart to form available spaces for the fingers when actuating the keys, a free space being left on each side of the keys. This also permits of reducing the width of the spaces between the keys as shown in Fig. 2.

Claims:

1. A key-board for pianos, comprising two separate and independent superposed keys of different lengths for each tone, a rod connected to said keys at their inner ends for actuating a hammer of the instrument, a separate pivot for each of said keys so placed with relation to their respective keys, that the actuating force of each key will be substantially the same, and two beams for the pivots, each beam carrying two rows of pivots.

2. A key-board for pianos, comprising two separate and independent superposed keys of different lengths for each tone, a rod connected to said keys at their inner ends for actuating a hammer of the instrument, a separate pivot for each of said keys so placed with relation to their respective keys, that the actuating force of each key will be substantially the same, two beams for the pivots, each beam carrying two rows of pivots, said keys being so placed in relation to. each other and to the keys for adiacent tones, that four rows of actuating faces are formed, there being a difference of one tone between two adjacent faces in the same row, and a difference of one half tone between one face and the nearest face in the next row.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ERIK THORSTEINSON NORDBU.

Witnesses M. E. GUTTonNssnN, C. F. HANSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 6- 

